Erich Stockhecke joined the Wehrmacht in January, 1944, when he was 41 years old. As manpower shortages became acute late in the war, they were drafting everyone they could, even older men and people who had previously been exempt from military service. Stockhecke was assigned to a Grenadier replacement unit. The portrait photo in his Soldbuch is from this time, and shows him wearing a pre-war tunic, not at all uncommon in a training unit in Germany in 1944.
After about a month of basic training, Stockhecke was assigned to Landesschützen-Bataillon H. This was a local defense unit located in Bonn, Germany. His Soldbuch shows two equipment issue entries from his time in this unit. This photo shows the items he was issued (these are reproduction items).
Pages 6 and 7 of the Soldbuch show issue of the following items:
-1 field cap
-1 wool tunic
-1 HBT tunic
-1 wool trousers
-2 pairs underwear
-1 overcoat
-2 collar binds
-2 shirts
-1 sweater
-1 pair gloves
-1 pair socks
-1 pair foot wraps
-1 pair low boots
-1 pair gaiters
-1 belt with buckle
-1 ammunition pouch
Soldbuch pages 8a and 8b were also used to show issue of equipment items including a gas mask.
Stockhecke never was issued basic field equipment during his time with Landesschützen-Bataillon H. He did not need it. He was sleeping in a barracks, his items stashed in a locker when not needed. He was not issued a rifle, bayonet, or helmet, though he did participate in marksmanship training. Perhaps the soldiers were handed weapons for this specific task rather than being issued rifles that they were personally responsible for.
In April, 1944, Stockhecke was transferred to Sicherungs-Regiment 197, a security unit in France. He was issued field equipment at that time, including a rifle and bayonet, later turned in and replaced with a captured French rifle and bayonet. The last entry in the Soldbuch is from July 1944. The next month, Sicherungs-Regiment 197 was destroyed in combat with Allied invasion forces.